With conference tournaments now underway, we’ll be updating Bubble Banter more frequently. Here’s the latest update as we move into a very busy hoops weekend. Note: The USC-Washington State game isn’t included. It will be updated on Friday.

Bubble Banter highlights the teams we believe are on the NCAA Bubble. If a team isn’t listed, they aren’t a bubble team at the time of the update. RPI and SOS data is credited to CollegeRPI.com. If you would like great access to regular RPI information, Jerry Palm provides great information for all NCAA Tournament fans. A subscription is very reasonable.

UPDATED: Thursday, March 3 | 11:15 p.m. ET

Automatic Bids (31): None decided | Total Spots (68): Number of total teams in the Field.

Projected Locks (25): Teams who project to have secured a spot in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Should Be In (7): These teams are teams in solid position to receive an at-large bid.

Bubble: (27): Teams projected to be at or near the cutline for being selected as at-large candidates.

Spots available (11): Number of projected available openings for the bracket.

Leaving the Bubble: Cincinnati (SBI)

Joining the Bubble: None

Notes: RPI and SOS data are through 11:15 p.m. on March 3.

Atlantic 10

Locks: Xavier, Temple | Should Be In: None | Bubble: Richmond

Richmond (23-7 | 12-3) | RPI: 60 | SOS: 156 | – The Spiders have won three straight and close their regular season Saturday vs. Duquesne. A loss to anyone other than Temple or Xavier at this point can only hurt Richmond. The win over Purdue continues to be a major helping point, and a victory over VCU is worth noting. Richmond suffered lopsided losses in early meetings with Xavier and Temple. The Spiders would be a lot more comfortable if they managed to beat the Muskateers or Owls in the A-10 Tournament.

Boston College (18-11 | 8-7) | RPI: 38 | SOS: 18 | – The Eagles’ victory at Virginia Tech gave them a season sweep of the Hokies. BC closes at home Sunday against Wake Forest – a game the Eagles shouldn’t lose. BC remains just 1-5 vs. Top 50 RPI teams (Texas AM), but is 7-10 vs. the Top 100. The Eagles likely need to win at least one game in the ACC Tournament. Two would make them more comfortable on Selection Sunday.

Clemson (19-10 | 8-7) | RPI:65 | SOS: 83 | – No shame in losing at Duke, but it leaves the Tigers just 1-4 vs. Top 50 teams and without a marquis victory. The closing game at home with Virginia Tech is huge for both teams. A loss might eliminate Clemson from the at-large pool unless they make a long ACC Tournament run. Clemson’s overall resume is very modest and is backed by a No. 204 non-conference schedule. Clemson also has non-league losses to Old Dominion and Michigan – both of whom are fighting for at-large spots.

Florida State (20-9 | 10-5) | RPI: 51 | SOS: 85 | – Even with the home loss to North Carolina, Florida State remains in decent position as long as they don’t drop a road game at NC State and then fizzle early in the ACC Tournament. In that scenario, a weak non-conferense SOS (No. 209), could be problematic. The Seminoles are just 2-4 vs. Top 50 teams, although they do have a home win over Duke and beat Boston College in their only meeting. FSU also beat Baylor in Hawaii.

Virginia Tech (19-9 | 9-6) | RPI: 63 | SOS: 89 | – The Hokies could have put themselves in a much stronger position had they not fallen flat against Boston College on Tuesday. It took some luster off the victory over Duke and sets up a critical game this weekend at Clemson. With three sub-100 RPI losses – including being swept by Virgina – the Hokies’ room for error remains small. Beating Clemson and winning one ACC Tournament game would seal it. Something less could leave the door open for another heartbreak.

Marquette (18-12 | 9-8) | RPI: 57 | SOS: 25 | – With its home loss to Cincinnati on Wednesday, Marquette is the final piece of the Big East puzzle left unsolved. The Golden Eagles are still in decent shape, but need to win at Seton Hall on Saturday. The Golden Eagles are 4-9 vs. Top 25 RPI teams – an amazing number of high-level games. Winning at Connecticut was huge because it proved that Marquette could win away from home. One more victory might be enough. Beating Seton Hall and winning a game in New York would likely seal it.

Illinois (18-12 | 8-9) | RPI: 39 | SOS: 13 | – No shame in losing a close game at Purdue on Tuesday, but it makes the Illini’s home game with Indiana absolutely huge. A loss would put a lot of pressure on the Illini to win a couple of games in Indy. Good wins include N. Carolina, at Gonzaga, Wisconsin, and Michigan State. Down the stretch, however, Illinois has gone 5-7 in its past 12 games. If there’s good news, the Illini beat Michigan in their only meeting. Strong SOS numbers and 10 Top 100 wins are a plus. The loss at UIC is a major sore point – along with a dropped game at Indiana in January.

Michigan State (16-12 | 9-8) | RPI: 43 | SOS: 8 | The Spartans exacted some revenge on the Hawkeyes by blasting Iowa at the Breslin Center Wednsday. MSU closes at Michigan and will try to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Wolverines. The Spartans have won 3 of 4, but are just 3-9 vs. Top 50 teams. MSU is 9-11 vs. the Top 100 and the Spartans have played the nation’s No. 8 schedule. Winning at Michigan might be enough. Two more wins would most likely punch MSU’s ticket.

Michigan (17-12 | 8-9) | RPI: 58 | SOS: 24 | Winning at Minnesota wasn’t a great win, but it kept the Wolverines in the conversation. While there’s not a lot to love about the Wolverine’s profile (2-8 vs. Top 50 teams), they have won 7 of 10 and were a last-second banked-in three pointer at the buzzer from beating Wisconsin. Michigan closes at home against Michigan State. A weak bubble continues to help. Much like Marquette, Michigan has several close losses and a solid strength of schedule. On another note, Michigan lost to Illinois in its only matchup with the Illini; just something to keep in mind. On the flip side, the Wolverines swept Penn State.

Penn State (15-13 | 8-9) | RPI: 59 | SOS: 6 | The Nittany Lions were throttled at home by Ohio State Tuesday and are now a loss at Minnesota on Sunday from leaving the bubble. Penn State has three solid victories at home (Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan State) but the Lions are a just 2-8 away from home – a major disparity. PSU was also swept by Michigan. If PSU can win at Minnesota, they’ll have a chance if they can find a couple of victories in Indianapolis. Despite a solid SOS, PSU’s best non-conference victories are Fairfield and Duquesne. They also lost at Virginia Tech.

Baylor (17-11 | 7-8) | RPI: 77 | SOS: 50 | – Baylor has dropped 4 of 5 following its loss Tuesday at Oklahoma State. About the only thing the Bears have in their favor is a season sweep of Texas AM. Even so, Baylor is just 2-5 vs. Top 50 teams and 5-8 vs. the Top 100. Out of conference, the Bears failed to win a Top 100 RPI game and their non-league SOS ranks No. 207. Up next is home date with Texas. Win and the Bears stay alive. Lose and an at-large bid might be out of reach.

Colorado (17-12 | 7-8) | RPI: 81 | SOS: 76 | – After the huge rally to beat Texas, Colorado lost its momentum Wednesday (again) at Iowa State. While CU has some high-level wins (5-6 vs. the top 50 and a sweep of Kansas State), a horrific non-conference SOS (No. 322) could prove to be an at-large killer. That, and a 3-9 record in true road games. The Buffs best non-conference win is over fellow bubble-dweller Colorado State. That could give the Selection Committee a reason to leave the Buffaloes at home. The season finale is at home with Nebraska. A loss would really put Colorado in a tough spot heading into the Big 12 tournament. CU is 9-12 vs. the Top 200 – the type of record that often suggests NIT.

Colorado State (18-10 | 9-6) | RPI: 47 | SOS: 38 | – The Rams’ at-large hopes took a major hit after the loss at Air Force last Saturday. It’s likely down to this: win at San Diego State or make a run to the Mountain West tourney championship. CSU’s best wins are at UNLV and Southern Miss, and the Rams’ once strong Mountain West record has fallen a bit. Outside the league, they lost to fellow bubbler Colorado, along with Sam Houston and Hampton. CSU is 2-5 vs. the Top 50 and 5-8 vs. the Top 100.

Washington (20-9 | 11-6) | RPI: 41 | SOS: 60 | – Huskies earned a critical home win over UCLA Thursday to set up their finale with USC this weekend. The victory gave UW a season sweep of the Bruins – which could be huge. At the same time, the Huskies best non-league win is Long Beach State, so UW still doesn’t have a lot of wiggle room. It might be a good idea to win at least one Pac-10 tournament game.

Washington State (18-10 | 8-8) | RPI: 70 | SOS: 92 | – Note: Update coming Friday. After pulling an upset in Washington last weekend, the Cougars now own a season sweep of the Huskies. It also keeps WSU in the at-large discussion. With a weak bubble, who knows. Overall, WSU is still just 2-5 vs. Top 50 teams (both Washington) and 6-7 vs. Top 100 teams. Other notable wins are Gonzaga and Baylor. UCLA visits to close the season. WSU could use a couple more wins to feel safe.

Georgia (20-9 | 9-6) | RPI: 37 | SOS: 35 | – Having won at Tennesse and beaten Kentucky, the Bulldogs are in decent position. They avoided a miscue vs. LSU and now travel to Alabama on Saturday. A victory there could be enough. A loss wouldn’t be devastating, but things could get dicey if the Bulldogs followed it with an early exit at the SEC Tournament. Outside the league, Georgia beat Colorado but lost to Xavier and Temple. An upside is that Georgia has avoided any bad losses. Overall, the Bulldogs are 3-9 vs. the Top 50 and 5-9 vs. the Top 100.

Alabama (19-10 | 11-4) | RPI: 86 | SOS: 129 | – Back-to-back losses have dropped the Tide below the cutline heading into action this weekend. A strong SEC record is all that’s carrying ‘Bama at this point – wins include Kentucky and at Tennessee. Then again, the SEC West is well below average. Outside the SEC, Alabama’s profile is very questionable. Their non-conference SOS ranks No. 279 and the Tide’s best non-league win is Lipscomb. Whether the Committee would have overlooked the Tide’s poor start (losses to St. Peter’s, Iowa, Seton Hall) largely depended on how the Tide finished. Right now, that isn’t looking nearly as strong as it did two weeks ago.

Butler (20-9 | 13-5) | RPI: 45 | SOS: 80 | – Butler finished its regular season with 7 straight wins to earn the 2-seed and double bye in the Horizon League Tournament. A win over Florida State in Hawaii could still help as could a win over Washington State if the Cougars rally. It’s the five league losses – including a sweep by Milwaukee – that’s holding Butler back. Getting to the Horizon League final would put BU right on the cutline.

Cleveland State (23-7 | 14-5) | RPI: 42 | SOS: 121 | – Vikings have to reach the Horizon League Tournament final to stay on the bubble.

Missouri State (23-7 | 15-3) | RPI: 40 | SOS: 125 | – Missouri State wrapped up the Missouri Valley title by beating Wichita State a second time last weekend. That helps. However, the Bears’ best non-conference win is Pacific, and they have only two Top 100 RPI wins (both Wichita State). MSU has to reach the MVC Tournament final. After that, we’ll see.

Memphis (21-9 | 9-6) | RPI: 36 | SOS: 42 | – Memphis followed up its loss at UTEP with another at East Carolina – giving the Tigers 3 losses in 4 games. Memphis was also blown out in its prime-time matchups with Kansas, Georgetown and Tennessee. A win at Gonzaga is Memphis’ only non-conference victory of note. The Tigers do have a season sweep of both UAB and Southern Miss but how much weight will that hold? Memphis closes with Tulane at home. The Tigers need that one and likely a trip to the C-USA final.

UAB (21-7 | 11-4) | RPI: 28 | SOS: 59 | – Beating Southern Miss Wednesday pushed the Blazers into first place in the C-USA standings with a game to go. An outright title would certainly help an overall weak at-large resume. UAB can wrap it up with a win vs. East Carolina on Saturday. The Blazers are just 1-5 vs. Top 50 teams, but do have 8 Top 100 wins. Their best non-league win is VCU, and the Blazers were swept by Memphis. It might still take an appearance in the C-USA title game to earn at-large bid. UAB has won 6 of 7 games.

Southern Mississippi (18-8 | 9-6) | RPI: 42 | SOS: 87 | – The Eagles have lost two straight and are barely hanging on at this point. The Eagles have a win at California and beat UAB in their first meeting, but that’s about it. A non-conference SOS ranked No. 240 is hurting. USM has to win at Tulsa Saturday or their at-large hopes are effectively over.

Old Dominion (24-6 | 14-4) | RPI: 27 | SOS: 75 | – ODU ended its regular season by beating William & Mary. The Monarchs finished tied for second in a good Colonial conference. While ODU is in good shape, we’ll leave them here until they win a game or two in the CAA Tournament. Good wins include Xavier, George Mason and Cleveland State. ODU played the No. 15 non-conference schedule and came within 3-points of beating Georetown.

VCU (21-10 | 12-6) | RPI: 64 | SOS: 106 | – After losing 4 of 5 down the stretch, VCU is barely holding onto a bubble spot. Any loss before an appearance in the CAA final will end the Rams’ hopes.

Gonzaga (21-9 | 11-3) | RPI: 68 | SOS: 103 | – Gonzaga has won 9 of 10 heading into the WCC Tournament in Las Vegas. They have wins over Xavier, Marquette, and Baylor, as well as a home loss to Memphis. The ‘Zags split two games with St. Mary’s. A 2-6 mark vs. Top 50 RPI teams is somewhat concerning, but a 7-7 mark vs. the Top 100 helps. Reaching the WCC final might be enough.

St. Mary’s (21-7 | 11-3) | RPI: 48 | SOS: 113 | – The Gaels are a perfect example of why we don’t rush to move teams off the bubble. St. Mary’s lost three straight before beating Portland to close regular-season play. That left SMC in a tie with Gonzaga atop the West Coast Conference. An early win over St. John’s helps, and St. Mary’s split with Gonzaga. The rest of the resume is light, however, (1-4 vs. Top 50 teams and 4-6 vs. the Top 100). In the at-large discussion, the Gaels would currently fall behind Gonzaga. A home loss to Utah State could also pose a problem. Reaching the WCC final might be enough.

Utah State (26-3 | 14-1) | RPI: 19 | SOS: 107 | – The Aggies thoroughly dominated the WAC and may very well have done enough. Still, with a very light 2-2 mark vs. Top 100 teams – and one of those being Long Beach State (No. 95) – we can’t assume USU is a lock. Avoiding an early WAC flameout would be advised. Reach the final and it could be difficult to leave the Aggies home on Selection Sunday.

On Friday afternoon, the NCAA announced that they will be reversing their original decision, allowing the Kansas center to be eligible to play during the 2019-20 season. He was suspended for the entirety of the 2018-19 season.

“Kansas appealed the NCAA staff decision of a two-season withholding to the Division I Student-Athlete Reinstatement Committee, which determined additional relief was appropriate,” the NCAA said in a statement.

This decision came just hours after De Sousa’s final appeal formal appeal and not a moment too soon; Wednesday marks the final day that players that have declared for the NBA draft can withdraw and return to school. It is unlikely that De Sousa would get drafted should he be forced to leave his name in the draft.

The NCAA originally determined in February that De Sousa would have to sit out the remainder of the 2018-19 season and the entire 2019-20 season after allegations arose that his guardian, Fenny Falmagne, had accepted at least $20,000 in order to steer De Sousa to Kansas. These allegations arose as a result of the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball.

De Sousa was a freshman during the 2017-18 season, averaging 4.0 points and 3.7 boards as Kansas made a run to the Final Four. He will join Udoka Azubuike and David McCormick in the Jayhawks oversized frontline.

Mark Emmert holds the top job of a major organization. It oversees thousands of people and generates billions in revenue. It’s not surprising the guy makes a lot of money.

It always just looks silly, though, as Emmert is the president of the NCAA, which does not allow its athletes compensation beyond the scholarships schools give them. So, we’ll take a minute to highlight that silliness here.

The 66-year-old was credited with $3.9 million in total compensation, but $1 million of a deferred $1.4 million payment had been reported in prior years, according to USA TODAY.

Three other NCAA executives cleared $1 million in salary in 2017.

Again, given the scope, size and profitability of college sports, it’s not surprising that Emmert and his execs are well compensated, but it’s always worth pointing out that finances in college athletics – from administrative and coaching salaries to facilities to travel – are all inflated because athletes are prohibited from taking part in the profit-taking.

With news coming that athletes could be in line to profit off their name and likeness sometime in the near future and the NBA signaling the end of the one-and-done era, there is progress in player compensation, but during that time, there are a lot of checks getting cashed without players’ names on them.

USA Basketball is welcoming seven sophomores among its 34 total invitees to training camp next month ahead of the FIBA U19 World Cup in Greece.

Incoming freshmen and Class of 2020 will vie for 12 roster spots with Kansas State coach Bruce Weber helming the team and being assisted by Washington’s Mike Hopkins and North Carolina Central’s LaVelle Moton.

“The committee is excited at the level of talent that will be at training camp for the USA U19 World Cup team, and we expect to have a difficult decision trying to narrow down the group to 12 team members,” Matt Painter, Purdue coach and cahr of the junior national team committee, said in a statement.

R.J. Hampton, Samuell Williamson, Scottie Barnes and Jalen Suggs are some of the headliners from the group of players without college experience.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The NCAA is granting too many waivers allowing players who transfer to compete immediately, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said Wednesday, calling the requirement that players sit out a year a useful “deterrent” to players switching schools.

Brey made his comments at a meeting of the Knight Commission, a nonprofit that pushes for reform in college sports. While the commission has not taken a position on transfer waivers, it often advocates for players being given more freedom to pursue their professional ambitions.

“As coaches we’re concerned about the number of waivers, to the point where the NCAA has given too much of a blueprint on how to get a waiver,” Brey said. “Kids feel they can go and, you know, bring up enough of a case to get eligible right away. So they’re more apt to want to go.”

In April 2018, the NCAA relaxed its waiver requirements, allowing a transferring player to suit up immediately if there are “documented mitigating circumstances that are outside the student-athlete’s control and directly impact the health, safety and well-being of the student-athlete.”

During the 2018-19 academic year, 79 men’s basketball players requested waivers and 44 were granted, a 56% success rate, according to NCAA data. Men’s basketball accounted for 33% of all waiver requests, the NCAA said.

Commission co-chairman Arne Duncan, the former U.S. Secretary of Education, declined to comment on waivers but lauded the “transparency” of the NCAA’s transfer portal, in which players submit their names if they want to switch schools.

Brey said he believes players should be free to transfer and that it’s up to coaches to make their players want to stay, but he said sitting out a year can be beneficial and prevents players from transferring for immature or capricious reasons.

“It’s a bit of a deterrent for a kid. The year in residency saves kids from themselves sometimes,” Brey said. “I’ve seen some kids then come back, stick it out, and now they’re in the lineup and they come back five years later and go, ‘I was an idiot.’ Because every kid thinks about (transferring) when he’s not playing.”

ROADBLOCKS TO REFORM

Brey’s comments were one of a few examples from Wednesday’s meeting of the basketball establishment pushing back against reforms that would give players more autonomy or promote transparency about the way schools profit from college athletics.

The Knight Commission is pushing the NCAA to release to the public the financial details of contracts between athletic departments and shoe and apparel companies, a proposal that has not gained much traction. In the past, the commission has persuaded the NCAA to release graduation rates and other financial data, including compensation for coaches.

“The shoe companies, there has to be agreement across the board, that there has to be willingness and openness to share all those records. Candidly, I think more work needs to be done,” said Kevin Lennon, the NCAA’s vice president for Division I governance. “We don’t control all the third parties and their ability to cooperate with us. More conversation needs to continue to occur within the NCAA and between the NCAA and the third parties if we want to move the ball.”

Two NBA executives told the commission the league is in talks with the players’ union about lowering the NBA’s minimum age to 18, prompted largely by a recommendation by the Commission on College Basketball to rid the sport of the “one-and-done rule.”

But even that proposal is meeting some resistance in the NBA. David Krichavsky, the league’s senior vice president and head of youth basketball development, said some in the league would rather raise the age limit than lower it.

“Many teams and general managers would still be in favor of going to 20, given the additional scouting information you receive on players, seeing them compete at the NCAA level for two years after high school,” Krichavsky said, “but at the same time we recognize that the world has changed and will continue to change.”

COACHES BEHAVING BADLY

Brey, the president of the board of directors of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, said he’d like to see coaches reach a consensus about how to police their own behavior.

An ongoing federal investigation into illicit payments made to players during the recruiting process led Louisville to fire longtime coach Rick Pitino, but some other coaches implicated in the probe have held onto their jobs. Brey said schools ought to move more aggressively to fire coaches for cause when they violate NCAA rules.

“We all have clauses in our contracts about NCAA rules and behavior, all of us. If those are violated, doesn’t that start on the campuses?” Brey said. “And no question the NABC could make a stronger stand. We have not maybe been as vocal about some of the things that have gone on.”

Now that the FBI’s college basketball corruption cases are complete, the NCAA will likely move forward with more notices of allegations.

Speaking to ESPN’s Heather Dinich on Wednesday at the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, NCAA vice president of Division I Governance Kevin Lennon said that more investigations could come “in due time and I think very quickly.”

The NCAA needed to wait for the FBI’s trials to finish up before launching its own investigations on schools mentioned over the past 18 months. We could see a high number of big-name programs get investigated during the NCAA’s process.

“You don’t get in the way of a federal investigation,” Lennon said Wednesday. “Activity was going on during that span that was within our purview, but now that the court cases are done, now we’re in a position where you’re likely to see notices of allegations going to institutions that have violated NCAA rules, etc. I think you can anticipate notices of allegations will be coming.”

Following the completion of the first FBI trial in October 2018, the NCAA already reportedly sent notice of allegations to Arizona, Kansas, NC State and Louisville. Other prominent programs, including but not limited to, Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma State and USC have also been mentioned during recent college basketball corruption trials.

While the NCAA will seek all documents that schools turned over to the federal government during legal procedures, the real difficulty in the NCAA’s investigations will be getting third-party participants to speak — or even cooperate in the first place. Those not tied to the NCAA through member schools have no legal obligation to help the NCAA during their investigation process.

Wednesday’s Knight Commission meeting also went over processes discussed or implemented because of the Rice Commission’s April 2018 report. Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey, president of the board of directors for the NABC, made waves by questioning where accountability comes from when it comes to coaching penalties.

Asking why “there’s been no hammer from the top of campus,” Brey asked why schools haven’t been accountable with coaches who break the rules.

“Why hasn’t an athletic director or a president acted in some of these current cases?” Brey said.

“I think a lot of our coaches want to know why hasn’t the hammer come down? I’m a little naïve to it. Is it legal stuff? A lot of lawyers? I think our profession would love to see the hammer be dropped on some of these situations. We need an explosion back.”

Brey has every right to question where penalties are coming from since only Louisville head coach Rick Pitino has lost his job among head coaches during this scandal. There seems to be a lot of confusion on where some things stand with the NCAA, and its rules, but maybe we’ll get more clarification now that the FBI trials are done.